Stem Cells News and Research

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Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Gene deletion can increase common complication of bone marrow transplants

A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics.

23 Nov 2009

SCF founder Sabrina Cohen recognized as a WebMD 2009 Health Hero

Sabrina Cohen, founder of The Sabrina Cohen Foundation for Stem Cell Research (SCF), was just recognized as a WebMD 2009 Health Hero. She will receive national media attention with a full-page article about her personal story of triumph and courage, and shares the spotlight with celebrity movie-star, Scarlett Johansson and other Health Heroes in the November/December issue.

20 Nov 2009

Image of a water flea wins top prize in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition

A glowing, eerily beautiful image of a water flea with its radiant green "crown of thorns" took top prize in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition®, the world's foremost forum for showcasing microscope photos and movies of life science subjects. Dr. Jan Michels, a zoologist at the University of Albrecht, Kiel, Germany, took top honors for the image of a water flea, with its defensive "crown of thorns" to protect it against predators. The image reveals not only the exoskeleton, but also interior detail down to the nuclei within its cells, seen as tiny, glowing blue dots. This

From Evident Corporation - Life Sciences 20 Nov 2009

I-STEM team succeeds in recreating a whole epidermis from hES cells

Stem cell research is making great strides. This is yet again illustrated by a study carried out by the I-STEM Institute (I-STEM/ Inserm UEVE U861/AFM), published in the Lancet on 21 November 2009. The I-STEM team, directed by Marc Peschanski has just succeeded in recreating a whole epidermis from human embryonic stem cells.

20 Nov 2009

New bone matrix implant offers hope for babies born with skull deformities

A synthetic bone matrix offers hope for babies born with craniosynostosis, a condition that causes the plates in the skull to fuse too soon. Implants replacing some of the infant's bone with the biodegradable matrix could eliminate some of the operations currently used to treat the condition.

19 Nov 2009

Advanced Cell Technology files an IND with the FDA for study using embryonic stem cells to treat SMD

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced today that it filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase I/II multicenter study using embryonic stem cell derived retinal cells to treat patients with Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD). Among the most common causes of untreatable blindness in the world are degenerative diseases of the retina.

19 Nov 2009

WaferGen Biosystems launches new SmartChip Service for gene-expression profiling of thousands of genes

WaferGen Biosystems, Inc., a leading developer of state-of-the-art genetic analysis systems, today announced a new, innovative service for gene-expression profiling of thousands of genes using the SmartChip(TM) Real-Time PCR System. By taking advantage of the SmartChip Real-Time PCR system, WaferGen will offer universities, pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies a service that utilizes pathway-specific gene panels to discover and validate new biomarkers.

19 Nov 2009

ISCO, Scripps Research Institute collaborate in study of parthenogenetic stem cells

International Stem Cell Corporation, announced today that it is collaborating with renowned stem cell researcher Jeanne F. Loring, Ph.D., and the Scripps Research Institute (La Jolla, CA) to study parthenogenetic stem cells and potentially therapeutic cells that can be derived from them.

19 Nov 2009

Embryonic stem cells raise hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure. There have been several protocols available for hepatic fate specification from ES cells, however, most of the protocols currently used result in low yield or purity of functional hepatocytes. Valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, has been demonstrated to facilitate the hepatic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. However, little is know about whether VPA could induce the hepatic differentiation of ES cells.

19 Nov 2009

NanoString Technologies to investigate molecular networks with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held life sciences company marketing a molecular barcoding detection system, today announced that it is collaborating with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to investigate molecular networks involved in immune response and other important biological processes.

From NanoString Technologies 19 Nov 2009

BIMR wins a GO grant from the National Institute of Mental Health

Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the California Bipolar Foundation (CBF) to post-doctoral research fellow Dr. Illyas Singec at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (BIMR), a research team headed by Dr. Evan Snyder (along with co-investigators Drs. Dieter Wolfe and Lawrence Brill), was able to accumulate sufficient preliminary data to win an extremely competitive Grand Opportunities (GO) grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to explore the molecular basis of Bipolar Disorder (BPD).

19 Nov 2009

Annual conference to discuss male infertility and tackling falling birth rates across Europe

Male infertility and tackling falling birth rates across Europe will be among the topics addressed at this year's British Andrology Society's annual conference at Queen's University in Belfast.

19 Nov 2009

CEL-SCI commences clinical study of LEAPS-H1N1 treatment for hospitalized patients

CEL-SCI Corporation, a developer of vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases and a late-stage oncology company, announced today the start of the Company's first clinical study for hospitalized H1N1 patients at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Johns Hopkins).

18 Nov 2009

Gene that tells embryonic stem cells when to stop producing neurons identified

Researchers from North Carolina State University have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance in understanding the development of the nervous system, which is essential to addressing conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders.

18 Nov 2009

VINNOVA to provide SEK 3.6 million for Vitrolife’s stem-cell research

Vitrolife: VINNOVA announced in a press release yesterday that they are going to provide support of SEK 3.6 million for Vitrolife’s research project for optimized culture media to enable the clinical use of stem cells. “It is very pleasing news and will enable more intensive work in an area that we very much believe in for the future”, says Magnus Nilsson, Vitrolife’s CEO.

18 Nov 2009

Gene therapy may hold promise for cryptorchid individuals risking infertility

EGR4 is a master gene responsible for fertility in cryptorchidism. Is gene therapy going to replace surgery?

18 Nov 2009

Pre-clinical data of GM1485 to be presented by GliaMed

GliaMed, Inc., a development stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Dr. David Weinstein, chief scientific officer and company founder, will present pre-clinical data demonstrating acceleration of wound healing through the in vivo induction and recruitment of stem cells at the Stem Cells USA & Regenerative Medicine Congress in Washington, D.C.

18 Nov 2009

Third patent application for COPD stem cell therapy filed by Entest BioMedical

Entest BioMedical Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: ENTB) announced today the filing of a third patent application relating to the area of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition that affects more than 5 million patients in the United States, resulting in more than 120,000 deaths per year. The application covers an implantable medical device useful in re-directing the immune system to stop tissue inflammation.

18 Nov 2009

Press conference highlights emerging treatments in pancreatic cancer

As part of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, Thompson will moderate a press conference on emerging treatments in pancreatic cancer on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, in Room 202 of the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Mass., from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET.

18 Nov 2009

New encapsulated system may enable doctors to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors

An encapsulation breakthrough by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology may enable doctors to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors over extended periods of time, while preventing the systemic side effects of chemotherapy and other current cancer treatments.

18 Nov 2009

Stem Cells News and Research

Further Reading

Gene deletion can increase common complication of bone marrow transplants

SCF founder Sabrina Cohen recognized as a WebMD 2009 Health Hero

Image of a water flea wins top prize in the 2009 Olympus BioScapes Digital Imaging Competition

I-STEM team succeeds in recreating a whole epidermis from hES cells

New bone matrix implant offers hope for babies born with skull deformities

Advanced Cell Technology files an IND with the FDA for study using embryonic stem cells to treat SMD

WaferGen Biosystems launches new SmartChip Service for gene-expression profiling of thousands of genes

ISCO, Scripps Research Institute collaborate in study of parthenogenetic stem cells

Embryonic stem cells raise hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure

NanoString Technologies to investigate molecular networks with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

BIMR wins a GO grant from the National Institute of Mental Health

Annual conference to discuss male infertility and tackling falling birth rates across Europe

CEL-SCI commences clinical study of LEAPS-H1N1 treatment for hospitalized patients

Gene that tells embryonic stem cells when to stop producing neurons identified

VINNOVA to provide SEK 3.6 million for Vitrolife’s stem-cell research

Gene therapy may hold promise for cryptorchid individuals risking infertility

Pre-clinical data of GM1485 to be presented by GliaMed

Third patent application for COPD stem cell therapy filed by Entest BioMedical

Press conference highlights emerging treatments in pancreatic cancer

New encapsulated system may enable doctors to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors

Stem Cells eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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